Type of Course

This three-credit history/theory elective course combines lecture and seminar formats and requires several field trips; though it is organized to complement the section of A 812 (Design X for Architecture) of the same name, any student who has fulfilled the prerequisite may enroll.

Prerequisite

Successful completion of A 532 (History of Architecture and Interiors IV)

Description

The American city is examined from multiple viewpoints – historical, theoretical, and critical – and with respect to specific communities as well as to general issues. Themes will include the initial founding of settlements and their growth; the architectural character of the communities and how character relates to the socio-economic and physical environments; and the contribution of all these factors toward the specific image or reputation associated with America's best known or "most typical" cities and towns.

We meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:35 - 10:50 am.

Objectives

This course introduces students to a broadly-based architectural understanding of the American city and encourages the appreciation and critical analysis of urban form, skills crucial to the companion studio course.

Primary objectives are:

1. To develop the student’s ability to speak and write effectively in the comprehensive analysis and evaluation of a building, building complex, or urban space.
2. To develop the student’s understanding of Western architectural canons and traditions as well as the national traditions and local regional heritage in architecture, landscape, and urban design, as well as the factors that have shaped and sustained them.
3. To develop the student’s understanding of the shifts which occur – and have occurred – in the social, political, technological, ecological, and economic factors that shape the practice of architecture.

Professor

Dr. David M. Breiner office location: A+D Center, mezzanine

phone: 215-951-2597 office hours: Wednesdays, 2:00-5:00 pm email: BreinerD@PhilaU.edu

Required Texts

Jacobs, Jane.The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Rev. ed. New York: Modern Library, 1993.

Rybczynski, Witold. City Life: Urban Expectations in a New World . New York: Scribner, 1995.

Venturi, Robert, Denise Scott Brown, and Steven Izenour. Learning from Las Vegas. Rev. ed. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1977.

Photocopied excerpts of articles and books will be distributed in class and should be inserted in a three-ring binder. Excerpts are taken from the following books, among others:

Boyer, M. Christine. Manhattan Manners: Architecture and Style 1850-1900. New York: Rizzoli,1985.

Cities in American History. Ed./intro. K.T. Jackson and S.K. Schultz. New York: A.A. Knopf 1972.

Cities: The Forces that Shape Them. New York: Cooper-Hewitt Museum, 1982.

Goldberger, Paul. The Skyscraper. New York: Knopf, 1982.

Landmarks Preservation Commission. Tribeca West Historic District Designation Report LP-1713.  New York: City of New York, 1991.

The Making of Urban America. Ed. Raymond A. Mohl. Wilmington: Scholarly Resources, 1988.

Norberg-Schulz, Christian. Genius Loci. New York: Rizzoli, 1980.

Stern, Robert A.M. et al. New York 1960. New York: Monacelli, 1995.

Strauss, Anselm L. Images of the American City. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Books, 1976.

White, E.B. "Here is New York," in Cities of Our Past and Present. (see below)

Recommended Texts

Bacon, Edmund N. Design of Cities. Rev. ed. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1974.

Cities of Our Past and Present. Ed. Wilson Smith. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1964.

Fein, Albert. "The American City: The Ideal and the Real." The Rise of an American Architecture.

New York: Praeger, 1970.

Foundation for Architecture. Philadelphia Architecture - A Guide to the City. 2^nd ed. Ed. John

Andrew Gallery. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1994.

Jellicoe, Geoffrey and Susan. The Landscape of Man. Rev. ed. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1995.

Kostof, Spiro. The City Shaped. Boston: Little Brown & Co., 1991.

Reps, John. Town Planning in Frontier America.. Columbia, Mo.: Univ. of Missouri Press, 1980.

Scully, Vincent. American Architecture and Urbanism. Rev. ed. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1988.

Stern, Robert A.M. Pride of Place. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986.

Warner, Jr., Sam Bass. The Private City: Philadelphia in Three Periods of its Growth. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1970.

Weigley, Russell F. Philadelphia, A 300-Year History. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1982.

Weisman, Winston. "A New View of Skyscraper History." The Rise of an American Architecture. New York: Praeger, 1970.

Urban Open Spaces. New York: Cooper-Hewitt Museum, 1979.

Procedures

Class lectures and discussions will complement the scheduled field trips. Sometimes topics will be more general in nature and will be interspersed with classes devoted to background information on particular American communities. To get maximum benefit from the seminar, students must read the assignments prior to in-class discussions (see course outline) and be prepared to discuss them. Students are required to earn a minimum number of field trip credits, derived from the trip offerings to be scheduled during the semester. Among the options are trips to New York, Center City Philadelphia and Chestnut Hill, and (over spring break) Chicago. Final scheduling will occur after consultation with Prof. Kass and with students’ weekly schedules. See attached preliminary schedule of trips.

Completion Requirements

Each student's grade for the course will be based on the following

Research Project – Each student will prepare a research project based on one urban building type, related to our class discussions and field trips. The project will consist of an oral presentation (15% of the final grade) during which students may use slides or handouts for all participants in the class illustrating plans, sections, or other graphic information; and a final paper (25% of the final grade), which will expand upon the oral presentation and will include illustrations as appropriate.

Participation – Your participation is evaluated by your attendance, your ongoing thoughtful contribution to class discussions on the readings and lectures, and your involvement in field trips. (Constitutes 20% of final grade.)

Quizzes – There will be several brief open-book quizzes to permit students to indicate their mastery of the material (lectures and reading assignments). Quizzes will be written during class time. Legibility is important, and clarity and grammar would be appreciated! (Constitutes 40% of final grade.)

Attendance and Comportment

Class attendance and promptness are critical to success in this course. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get notes from a classmate. More than three absences will reduce your grade for participation. More than five absences will automatically reduce your grade to an "F." The project must be submitted on or before the deadline in order to earn full credit. Eating and drinking in class are not permitted. Enthusiastic participation and notetaking are crucial strategies for success in the course.

Honesty

Plagiarism is prohibited by your Student Code of Conduct. This article will be strictly enforced. Even unintentional plagiarism is wrong and ignorance will not be accepted as an excuse. Plagiarists misrepresent the ideas, words, or work that rightfully belong to another as their own. The proper use of the ideas, words, or word of another requires that you acknowledge your source – simply that you give your audience or reader all the information needed to read or view the original source.

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